Announcing the appointment of the new FIT Chair

2 Dec 2021 @ 0:00 UTC

Former England Touch Association Chair Mark Croston will lead the new Federation of Touch board and along with his fellow directors has hit the ground running with plans for expansion.

The Federation of International Touch (FIT) is delighted to announce the appointment of Mark Croston as Chair of its Board of Directors.

Mark will officially start as Chair on 21 December 2021 after a period of shadowing the outgoing Board.

Outgoing Secretary-General Bill Ker, who first joined the FIT Board in 1989, said, “I believe the new directors have made an excellent choice in selecting Mark, who was the England Touch Association Chair before winning election to the FIT board last month.”

Mark was chosen along with Michael Abromowitz (Switzerland), Topy Xu (China) and Australian duo Aaron Jones and Peter Topp.

“The new directors offer the sport an impressive array of skills and experiences, and I’m looking forward to working with them, and they will continue the hard work of the previous Board for the benefit of all members and the wider touch community.”

Apart from his stint with England Touch, from 2013, Mark Croston was one of two founding members of World Dodgeball’s governing body. He led the incorporation process and the development of the Association as the Official World Governing Body with recognition from the IOC, Sport Accord/GAISF and each of the 68 member nations. Mark is stepping down from this role, assuming the role of patron, enabling him to focus on the new FIT position. 

Mark also served in the sport of Rugby League as a Rugby Football League Council Member and Vice-President from 2003 to 2018. “I’m honoured to have been elected as the Chair of the FIT Board, and look forward to working with Topy, Michael, Mark, Aaron and Peter to carry on the hard work of the previous Board for the benefit of all our members and the wider Touch family,” he said.

“It is an exciting time for Touch as we emerge from the pandemic. Our sport offers so many possibilities to different communities across the world, who have the common aim of providing a positive environment for players of all identities, ages and backgrounds to come together at all levels from social to international.”

“A massive thanks also to Bill Ker and the other outgoing directors, whose dedication and commitment has laid the foundations on which we will build.”